Clutch structure



May 15, 1945. c. GERST CLUTCH STRUCTURE Filed Nov. 16, 1945 I I INVENTOR.

BY (HR/5 55m vention. 1

, mass may .1 5

s; PATENT OFFICE aam ss cnurcn smuc'ruaa v 'Gln-ls Gerst, Dear-born, Mich, aseignor to Transmission Specialties Company, Detroit, Mich a partnership I Application November 16, 1943, Serial -1 Claim. (01492-93) This invention relates to clutches, friction clutches etc., in which the driving position of thegelementsof the clutch is established by positively actuated component mechanism.-, Clutches of this type 'are' generally actuated by shifting In'the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view, partly in elevation,

"of a clutch construction with av dual'arrangemeans, such as a shifting fork or similarelement coupled with the component mechanism of a,

clutch by trunnions or shoes which ride in acircular' groove of said mechanism, so that the trunnions or shoes are exposed to extensive wear and tear unless properlylubricated at all'tin'aes.

The general object of the presentinventionis ment of clutches actuated by a shifting mechanism constructed in accordance with the invention, the section being taken on line l-l of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view through the clutch structure shown in Fig. 1, the section being taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

the provision of simplified shifting mechanism... for clutches of the type referred to above which embodies a ball bearing, the inner race of which is constructed to form a part of the component mechanism establishing the desired driving connection and the outer race of which is constructed for direct coupling with a shifting fork. I

. Another object of this invention is the provisioni of a simplified shifting mechanism for clutches of the type referred to above which embodies a-ball bearing constructed to form a part-of the 'component mechanism by slidably and non rotat ably couplingthe inner race of the ball bearing.

with an element of thecomponentmechaniSm and forming the .outer race of theaball{. beiiirjirig for directcoupling Qwith a shifting with trunnions fork. a v

' A furtherobject of the bodies a ball bearing in whichthefouter race is formed with trunnions for directly c'ouplingthis outer race with a shifting fork and the inner race is formed as a part of the component'shifting'" mechanism by adjustably, slidably and 'r i'orf'roinvention is: the provision of a simplified shifting mechanism for-- clutches of the type referred toabove whichem is aflsectional view through the outer racemember of the ball bearing forming a part of the shifting mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view through one of the spacing rings of the ball bearing; and

Fig. 5 is a. sectional view through the inner race member of the ball bearing.

Referring now to the exemplified form of clutch construction shown in the drawing, reference numeral 2 denotes a, dual clutch structure embodymg; an internally and externally splined hub 3 adapted to be readily secured to a shaft (not shown), which hub mounts on its outer splined end portions 4, 4 two identically constructed tatably coupling this inner race-withsaid com ponentrmechanism, sotliatadjlist ent of 'qthe area; through which clutching owemsjtrm ferred to] the friction I element got 1, thef gclutch structure.

-'Still"further o struction; combinations and relations I of parts by I which the objects in view have been attained will appear and are setforth in detail-in the course of thefollowing specification. The drawing.accompanyingand forming part of-the specification illustrates certain practical embodiments of the invention, but it will be apparentas the specification proceeds that the structure may bemodified and changed in various ways without departure v splined end portion 4 of hub 3. This ring member it, which carries a spring-pressed plunger i8 cm from the true spirit and. broad scope 0 he in iects andnovelfeatures time! Q position of the inner. race. changes the contact 1 friction plates 6 and abut against the opposed multi-plate friction clutches 5, I, so that description of the left friction clutch, as viewed in Fig. 1, will be suflicient. Thus, hub 3 mounts on "its splined end portion 4 a plurality of friction driven disks S'secured to said hub for axial, nonrotatable movement with respect thereto, and these disks cooperate with alternately disposed friction" driving disks 1. with outer portions 8 adapted to be axially shiftably secured to a driving memberinot shown), all as customary.

The two sets of disks 8 and 1 are forced into frictional driving engagement by a pair of clamping/ members, to wit: a backing plate 9 and a pressure plate Hi, the former contacting the left face of the collection of'disks and the latter the right face. Backing plate 9 is secured to hub 3 I so. as to form a fixed abutment against which friction disks 6 and I may ire/forced when shift-QT able pressure plate It is shifted to clamp the disks by a mechanism hereinafter to be described and retracted to released position by compression springs ll which extend through openings l2 in faces of plates 9 and I0.

For adjustment of the relative positions of plates il and I0 and compensation for wear and tearon friction disks 6 and I, the pressure plate I0 is backed by-an adjusting ring member I L threaded upon a shiitable ring l5 which is freely *shiftably and non-rotatably mounted on the operating with circumferentially disposed holes i! in pressure plate It! to secure said ring member in its adjusted position, backs up the pressure plate In and controls the position of this plate with respect to the backing plate 9 without disturbing the working position of dual shifting levers 3 with respect to the shiftable ring l5.

Levers 18 which effect the actuation of the clutch disks to driving position are mounted in radial slots IQ of enlarged central hub portion 20, so as to actuate and retract the friction disks of either of the friction clutches 5, 5. For such purpose, each lever 18 is pivotally mounted on a pin 2| which extends through wall portions 22 of central hub portion 20 and formed with oppositely extending bifurcated, symmetrically arranged arms 23, 24 mounting rollers 25 to engage the inclined end face 26 of either shiftable ring l5. Actuation. of levers I8 is effected by the inner race member 21 of a ball bearing 28, which latter forms a shifting collar for these levers. For such purpose, the ball bearing 28 has its inner race member 21 slidably and non-rotatably secured to the central portion 20 of hub 3 by means of a key 29 and has the contact faces 30 of said race member rounded for cooperation with the rollers '25. In addition, the outer race member 3| of the ball bearing 28 has extended from its outer surface a pair of oppositely arranged trunnions 32 for direct coupling with a shifting fork Preferably, as shown, inner race member a? oi ball bearing 28 is provided with a plurality or key slots 36' arranged so that a change oi the con pling of said race member with central hub por= tion from one or said key slots 353 to another one simultaneously changes the location oi the contact area between rollers and the rounded contact faces of said inner race member, all for the purpose of increasing the life of the thus constructed shifting device of theclutch con structlon.

Having thus described my' invention, what ll claim is:

In a clutch structure a hub, and a component actuating mechanism. for the clutch structure mounted on said hub, said mechanism including lever means pivoted to said hub, and ball bearing means shiftably coupled with said hub for relative movement with respect to said lever means, said ball bearing means having radially extended from the peripheral surface of its outer race member oppositely arranged trunnions adapted to co-operate with a shifting fork in shifting operations of said clutch structure and having its inner race member slidably keyed to said hub opposite said lever means for direct actuation of a said lever means when said ball bearing means of common construction (not shown). The inner and outer race members of ball bearing 28 mount a plurality of steel balls 33 which are properly spaced from each other by a pair of spacer rings 34, 34' secured to each other by pins 35.

is shifted with respect to said lever means, and said inner race member having a plurality of differently spaced key slots for coupling said inner race member and hub in different angularly related positions to shift the contact area between said inner race member and said lever means.

CHRIS GERST. 

